An in-car Macintosh-based PC

July 29, 2006 When it comes to the disciplines of performance, handling and spectacular body design, the world’s most exclusive sports cars rarely leave anything to be desired. That changes when it comes to the interior as many of their discriminating owners wish to customize according to their own, often very personal tastes. German company Mattes Interieurtechnik specializes just in interior automotive design for ultra luxury cars. Every detail of how the interior will be customized is discussed in a personal conversation with the customer and there is no limit to the colours the customer can choose from, regardless of whether it's the leather or Alcantara used, the floor and trunk carpeting or the thread for the stitching, or one’s choice of personal computer. Until now all existing multimedia and business systems on wheels were based on PC technology. Mattes Interieurtechnik responded to the request of many of its customers who prefer Apple computers and developed a high-end in-car system based on an Apple iMac G5, whose entire hardware in turn is integrated into the 17-inch monitor that is only 5 centimeters thick. The iMac G5 multimedia system can be integrated into any car, though it is pictured here in the new Mercedes CLS where it'll set you back around UE 3,500. The computer comes covered in the finest magnolia-colored leather and is installed on the driveshaft tunnel behind the front seats. By unplugging one cable and unfastening the locking mechanism the computer can be removed from the car in less than an a minute for use at home or in the office.

The team of Reinald Mattes placed equal emphasis on an extensive range of functionalities of the multimedia equipment as well as on the stylish integration of the Apple iMac G5 into the interior.

An integrated DVD player also makes use of the large 16:10 iMac display. A wireless keyboard and mouse control all office and multimedia functions of the Mac OS X operating system. Downloading photos from an external source such as a digital camera is as easy as logging on to the internet via UMTS or GPRS connection.

In addition to the extensive color palettes of the leading manufacturers Mattes Interieurtechnik offers the option to custom-dye the high-quality materials in any desired color – including the hue of a partner’s favorite lipstick. Just as extensive is selection of upholstery design. Smooth or gathered surfaces, square or rhomboid seam patterns: There are no limits to personal expression.

We have included a wide range of Mattes Interieurtechnik projects into the image library along with images of the iMac system – beautiful work!

Mike grew up thinking he would become a mathematician, accidentally started motorcycle racing, got a job writing road tests for a motorcycle magazine while at university, and became a writer. As a travelling photojournalist during his early career, his work was published in a dozen languages across 20+ countries. He went on to edit or manage over 50 print publications, with target audiences ranging from pensioners to plumbers, many different sports, many car and motorcycle magazines, with many more in the fields of communication - narrow subject magazines on topics such as advertising, marketing, visual communications, design, presentation and direct marketing. Then came the internet and Mike managed internet projects for Australia's largest multimedia company, Telstra.com.au (Australia's largest Telco), Seek.com.au (Australia's largest employment site), top100.com.au, hitwise.com, and a dozen other internet start-ups before founding Gizmag in 2002. Now he writes and thinks.